28th July, 2019
Dear friends,
I had been hoping to write this newsletter on Saturday but didn’t have the opportunity so it’s very early Sunday morning as I write this. It’s still dark as the sun comes up at 7am every morning and sets at 7pm all through the year. The cockerels have started already and the dawn chorus has begun.
The boys at George’s Place are all fine except for Derrick who travelled back from the Vocational training institute yesterday, by bus, with malaria – Sam took him straightaway to the clinic as he is very poorly. I cannot understand why the school hadn’t informed us of the situation and had allowed him to travel by himself to reach home. Prayers please for Derrick as he was reluctant to even drink anything yesterday.
‘I will heal their waywardness and love them freely…….’ Hosea 14 v4
On Friday morning Bob and I went to visit Patrick, he is now settled at work in a welding business and living with his father and step-mother. It was really good to see him. Patrick had lived on the streets for many years sniffing jet fuel and although there were a few ‘blips’ whilst he was in our care and at vocational college (not surprisingly), to see him working and settling down to a good life is encouraging – only God can be changing and healing these boys lives and addictions and we give Him the Glory.
The older boys, who are unable to find work, have been helping Uncle Brian this week, he joined us whilst I was in the U.K. Brian used to be my security man when I first came to stay in Uganda. He is quiet, firm and responsible and has been teaching the boys painting skills. This has kept them busy and apart from a ‘few’ splashes of paint on the ground and themselves everything has been fine. Emma has also been shaving the younger boys heads after school. The boys at Maranatha are all going on a school trip next week to the Source of the Nile and a visit to a sugar cane factory near Jinja. This works out expensive at 40,000UGX each for 12 of them – they didn’t think they would be allowed to go and were so excited when we agreed they could. Bob also called in on Paul again this week to take more material, threads and needles and found him busy in class sewing.
There have been a few improvements at KK Beach whilst I’ve been away, with a new bouncy castle and a volleyball pitch which the boys are enthusiastic about – Saturday afternoon was spent enjoying football, badminton, skateboarding (on even concrete), bouncing, playing volleyball plus sodas.
I know I have only been back a week but it feels like a month! There have been forms to fill in for the Ministry of Gender, wages to sort out and pay, paperwork to trawl through. I’ve eaten beans every day! (except for yesterday when I ate out.)
This morning I’m off to church, Tresor stayed the night and leaves shortly to set up the sound system there, he tells me we are now meeting in the new school chapel and not in the dining hall – I’ll take a photo as it’s really impressive.
Wishing you all a blessed Lord’s day.
Jane
